Condiment-holder.



A. J. BENNETT. CONDIMENT HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED MAR.16,1910.

0 1 9 1 L V. 0 N d 6 t m M P Z! [fill Mill ARTHUR JAMES BENNETT, 0F CAMBRIDGE, OHIO.

CONDIMENT-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 16, 1910.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910. Serial No. 549,762.

To all whom 'it may concern:

lie it known that. I, Airriroii JAMES BEN- NETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, in the county of Guernsey and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Condiluent-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of dispensing receptacles or condiment holders, and particularly those which are used to supply powdered or comminuted substances, such as salt and pepper.

It is well known that finely divided substances, particularly salt, have a tendency to become massed and lumpy under unfavorable conditions, as in damp weather, and in such condition to render their dispensing cans or containers practically useless, either by forming lumps or sticking to and clogging the openings in the top. As is also well known, lump-breakers of various forms have been employed, but these have always comprised extra parts inserted in the recep tacle, and have been found generally inconvenient in that they take up a large part of the interior of the vessel, the material clogs about the breakers as well as lumping of itself and there is always the annoying rattle of the breaker against the sides and top of the shaker.

It is my object to improve the general structure of this class of articles, and to provide a lum -breaker and dispenser which will not invo ve the use of an extra part, thereby increasing the vessels capacity, while also insuring a good feed to the dis pensing mouth.

A further object is to breaker which will act wit a grinding and cutting action on lumps, thereby wearing away radually hard lumps which will not break by striking against the breaker or disintegrator.

It is also an object to construct a dispenser which combines with an integral breaker, a formation which will permit a certain graduated feed from the dispensing mouth, thereby avoiding the too rapid discharge of material which usually attends the operation of a salt holder.

With the above objects in view, my improved dispensin receptacle will now be more fully descri ed in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying rovide a lumpdrawings, which which zl igure l, is a side elevation of the shaker, F g. 2, is a vertical sectional view thereof, Fig.3 is a sectional view through the dispensing portion of said shaker, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a view in longitudinal section of a modified form of cap.

In said drawings, 1 indicates the body of the shaker, which may, with equal applicability, be square or round or of any other conformation; and may be of any material, as lass or composition. Said body 1 is pre erably, though not necessarily, formed with a substantially cylindrical interior, the annular surface 2 thereof extending uninterruptedly from top to bottom of the body. At its upper end said body 1. is provided with an external screw thread 3, whose function will hereinafter appear, and which is preferably cut deeply enough into the said body to form a slight annular shoulder 4.

Resting in the mouth of the body 1, and closing the cylindrical interior is an annular member 5, which is integral with a depending cone-shaped abrading and feeding member 6. Member 5 comprises an annuluslO, which rests on the upper edge of the body 1, and an upwardly extending flange 11, preferably formed as a part of said annulus. Said member 5 is positioned and maintained on its seat by means of a sleeve 7, which is interiorly threaded to coact with the afore; said threads 3, formed on the body 1, and has an inwardly extending flan e 8 which bears against the upper surface 0 the flange 11, the lower edge of the sleeve 7, when in this latter position, bearing against the shoulder 4, thereby giving a completed or finished appearance to the article.

Member 5 bears the cone-shaped body por tion 6, which terminates in a dispensing mouth or condiment inlet 14. The interior surface of body 6, is provided .with corru gations or flutes 9, which project beyond the annular surface of body 6, as depicted in Fig. 3, thereby presenting points in the path of substances contained in the receptacle, which are virtually longitudinally disposed knife-edged cutting members or ribs. As observed in Fig. 2 the cutting ribs 9, form, in conjunction with the walls 2, of the shaker body, wedge-shaped spaces which form a part thereof, and in -9, out of contactwith latter is formed integral with with the inlet 18 at its apex. It wil will obviously, when the shaker is in normal inverted position, act to abrade, break up and disintegrate, any lumps, or massed condition of the salt or similar substance, since the latter will be forcibly wedged into the spaces aforementioned, and encountering the knife-edged ribs or cutting members will be manifestly cut, ground and disintegrated.

In practice it has been found that the feed of the salt or the like through inlet 14:, is suflicient to provide a desirable and regulable feed. Moreover, the base of body 6, when the shaker is in use acts itself to break up any lumpy condition of the salt which may exist, and as ordinarily the quantity within the shaker is suflicient to extend beyond mouth 14, when the shaker is inverted, it will thus be seen that the feed will be constant, and that as the salt enters the interior of the body 6, it will be spread thereby, due to its cone-shaped contour, and will be distributed at a plurality of points, in common with shakers which are equipped with a multiplicity of distributing months or apertures. Flange 11, and flange 8 of the sleeve 7, engage the member 5, holding the same in position to keep the outer ends of the ribs the interior 2, of body, preventing in ury to ribs 9, in use. The modified form of cap depicted in Fig. 4 of the drawings embodies a construction in which the cone-shaped member 17 is formed integral with annular flange 15, and the an outwardly extending flange 16 which is interiorly threaded. It wlll be observed that the under face of flange 15 will seat on the outer edge of the open end of body 1 and the threads of flan e 16, will engage with the screw threads 3 of body 1.

The cone-shaped member 17 is rovided thus be observed that the distributer and the means whereby the same is secured to the container, is formed in one single integral piece. The distributer may be made of glass, metal or any com osite material desired. It is also evident t at the exterior ridges 9 may be dispensed with if desired, or the same may be placed on the interior of the cone-shaped member. It is also evident that the cone shaped member might be of form other than that of circular, in cross section, for instance, triangular or square.

hat is claimed is 1. A condiment shaker comprising a container body having an open upper end, an inverted conical member projectm through said open end into said body and ormed at its upper edge with a circumferential flange adapted to rest upon said end, and at its apex with a discharge 0 ening, andmeans associated with said bo y end and flan e for retaining said member in position, said member having its internal surface formed with longitudinal cutting ribs which face the interior of said body, for disintegrating the material therein when said body is shaken.

2. A condiment shaker comprising a container body having an open upper end externally threaded, an inverted conical member projecting through said end into said body and formed at 1ts upper edge with a circumferential flange adapted to rest upon said end and at its apex with a discharge opening, said flange having formed integral therewith a circumferential internally threaded dependin flange adapted for engagement with San? threaded body end, and means formed on said member for disinterating the material in said body when the latter is shaken.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ARTHUR JAMES BENNETT.

Witnesses:

G. Roy Born, W. G. MoOAR'rNnY. 

